Spring Break 2008!

Our family has been BUSY!!! Let's see if I can remember everything...Friday night-kicking off our week of family fun, Mike and I, his sister Darci, and cousin Zac went to the Wild game, while Sharon babysat the kids. We sat in Mike's company's club seats which were very nice, and got to watch a good game, which was Darci's first hockey game ever. Saturday morning I got a haircut and in the afternoon, Annalise and I went to her friend Orrin's birthday party at Edinborough Park. Saturday night, Mike went to his friend Blake's birthday party (not spiderman-themed, and not at Edinborough Park), but rather a boys out on the town type of event, where sleeping over on Blake's floor was required. Sunday must have been low-key, because I can't remember anything from it, and Monday was a fun family day at the zoo. Monday night, A's teacher from Little Flowers babysat, and Mike and I went to a movie (Atonement) at the cheap theatre, because we are behind on current releases. Annalise and Bennett had such a good time with Summer! Tuesday started out with a successful trip to the children's dentist for Annalise, followed by a visit to Nickolodeon Universe and the Teddy Bear Band on Toddler Tuesday at the Mall of America. The kids really liked the TBB, and then we hit the park. Right off the bat, B freaked out on the carousel, and that caused us to drastically truncate our amusement park experience. A went on Blue's Skidoo with Mike, and then we headed to lunch. We'll have to take A back sometime by herself, as we have plenty of points left to use. Tuesday night, Summer's assistant at Little Flowers, Megan, babysat for the kids, and Mike and I went to Fujiya with Eric and Katie. A good time was had by all.

Wednesday kept us at home (oh, Mike worked from home this whole week, I guess that wasn't clear) because our countertop guys and our plumber returned, and finally got the garbage disposal installed (the soapstone was too thick for the drain ring thingy). The radiator is going to need some adjusting because it's tied to the kitchen heat, and once it was hooked up, the kitchen got HOT. Oh, I just remembered, not all of us had to stay home on Wednesday. Thanks to Mike hanging out with the kids at home, I got to go out to lunch at Salut with my friend Becky, who was also on spring break. We then did some fun shopping for ourselves at 50th and France, and the Galleria in Edina.

Thursday, we hit the road for Madison, and stayed at a hotel for some pool fun. Friday, I went to my sister's Neuroscience PhD thesis defense, while Mike hung out with the kids again. Bridget did such a great job explaining her research- I actually understood most of what she said. Afterwards, Steve and I picked up Mike, A, and B, and their cousin Maren, and brought them back to campus for cake and champagne, to celebrate my sister now being a DOCTOR! Congrats, again, Beeper (oh, Dr. Beeper). Annalise and Bennett got to meet their fourth babysitter since last Friday, and stayed at Bridget and Steve's while Mom and Dad, Bridget and Steve, Steve's parents, Mike and I went to Eno Vino for tapas! It was a really nice evening, and I do love tapas! We picked up the kids and left Madison at 9:45 to head home for at least a little sleep in our own beds, before heading to Brainerd, to conclude Spring Break 2008.

Mike's cousin Rachel got married in Brainerd on Saturday. The wedding was great overall, and the reception was so kid-friendly- snacks, a kid corner with stuffed animals, coloring books, and little prizes, glow sticks, etc. The kids had a wonderful time, and Annalise commented the next day at the hotel, "that wedding was such a good wedding for kids!" On Sunday morning before everyone headed back to their respective homes, we had a family birthday celebration for Annalise's 4th birthday. We had a donut cake, yogurt, Craisins, fruit, yogurt granola bars, juice- pretty much all of her favorite things. The kids went swimming for a bit, and then we had a smooth drive home.

All in all, a really wonderful family week, and date week for Mike and me too! Thanks so much to Eric and Katie, Mark, Danielle, and the three kings for doggy duty over the weekend!